Parental perceptions about children’s ability to swim: a study with 6 to 10 year olds
Supporting Agencies
- Funding: This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), I.P., under the funding programs UIDP/05913/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05913/2020) and UIDB04045/2020.
Abstract
Parental perceptions of aquatic competence can serve as a potential indicator of how aware and involved adults are in supervising children in aquatic environments. This study aimed to compare parental perception with children’s actual aquatic competence in a sample of 6- to 10-year-olds. Eighty-one children (8.52 ± 1.11 years old) enrolled in swimming lessons were evaluated on structured aquatic tasks, while their parents completed a questionnaire about their children's skills. Most children (61.7%) were able to stay afloat without foot support. Among those, 97.9% could maintain their head above water and breathe for 30 seconds, 93.6% swam 10 meters, and only 42.3% completed 25 meters using a formal swimming technique. No significant differences were found between parental perception and actual performance. The strongest effect size was observed in basic flotation ability (V = 0.800). These findings highlight the importance of regular participation in swimming lessons, accompanied by ongoing parental awareness of children’s aquatic skill development.
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